How to Cook With Cast Iron
Master preheating, searing, and maintaining your cast iron skillet to produce incredible restaurant-quality crusts while building durable non-stick seasoning.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet
- ✓ Silicone handle grip or thick dry oven mitts
- ✓ Thin stainless steel spatula (fish spatula)
- ✓ Chainmail scrubber or stiff-bristle dish brush
- ✓ Lint-free cotton cloth or heavy paper towels
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ High smoke-point oil (avocado, canola, or grapeseed oil)
- ✓ Coarse kosher salt
- ✓ Steak, chicken thighs, or vegetables
- ✓ Unsalted butter and aromatics (optional)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Always keep a heat-resistant sleeve or dry cloth over the handle, as thermal conductivity makes the entire pan dangerously hot.
- • Never pour cold liquid or run cold tap water over a scorching skillet; severe thermal shock will crack or warp the iron.
- • Operate the stove exhaust hood on high before searing proteins to prevent setting off indoor smoke detectors.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Gradually Preheat the Skillet
Set the dry cast iron skillet over medium-low heat on your stovetop burner for 5 to 7 minutes. Cast iron conducts heat slowly and unevenly at first, so a gentle ramp-up allows heat to distribute uniformly across the cooking surface before cranking up the temperature.
- • The entire rim and handle feel warm to the touch when hovering a hand 2 inches above the pan.
- • Blasting the burner on maximum heat immediately, creating isolated hot spots and burning food in the center.
Add Cooking Fat and Bring to Temp
Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of high smoke-point oil into the skillet and tilt the pan to coat the entire bottom evenly. Increase the burner heat to medium or medium-high and wait roughly 60 seconds until the oil shimmers and barely begins to produce faint wisps of smoke.
- • Oil flows quickly across the surface like water and exhibits a distinct shimmering pattern.
- • Using extra virgin olive oil or unclarified butter for initial searing, which scorches and creates bitter flavors at high heat.
Lay In Ingredients and Sear Undisturbed
Gently lay your seasoned, thoroughly dried protein or vegetables into the skillet away from your body to prevent hot oil splatters. Allow the food to cook completely undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes so the Maillard reaction can develop a deeply browned, natural release crust.
- • The protein easily releases from the metal without tearing or sticking when gently nudged with the spatula.
- • Poking, sliding, or flipping the food too early while it is still adhering to the pan surface.
Flip, Baste, or Transfer to Oven
Flip the food using your thin metal spatula onto the second side. If cooking thick cuts like ribeye or pork chops, add a knob of butter, crushed garlic, and herbs to the pan, then tilt the skillet slightly and spoon the foaming butter over the surface for 1 to 2 minutes, or transfer the whole skillet into a 400°F oven to finish cooking.
- • Deep golden-brown crust on both sides with internal temperature reaching your target doneness.
- • Using wet oven mitts when handling pan transfers, which instantly conduct heat as steam and cause severe burns.
Clean Pan While Still Warm
Allow the skillet to cool down until warm but not scorching (around 5 to 10 minutes after cooking), then take it to the sink. Scrub out food residues under hot running tap water using a chainmail scrubber or stiff bristle brush, using a small drop of mild dish soap if necessary to cut heavy grease.
- • Pan surface is completely smooth to the touch with zero burnt-on food particles remaining.
- • Soaking the cast iron skillet in the sink or putting it inside an automated dishwasher, which destroys seasoning and causes rust.
Dry Thoroughly and Apply Protective Oil Layer
Dry the skillet completely with a lint-free cloth or paper towel, then place it back on the stovetop burner over low heat for 2 minutes to evaporate all microscopic moisture. Pour a dime-sized drop of neutral oil into the warm pan and buff it thoroughly across the entire interior and exterior using a clean cloth until the surface appears matte, not wet or greasy.
- • The pan has a smooth, semi-matte sheen with no visible sticky pools or puddles of liquid oil.
- • Leaving excess oil in the pan, which turns sticky, gummy, and rancid during cabinet storage.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Tasty — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Chainmail scrubber? Coarse kosher salt scrubbed with a dry paper towel
- No Silicone handle cover? Folded dry kitchen towel or heavy-duty oven mitt
- No Thin metal spatula / fish spatula? Stiff metal pancake turner or flat-edged wooden spatula